


The Summer of Winter

by BattlingBard, TheGrimLlama



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (Disney Movies), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BattlingBard's depth of story, Depth of character everywhere, Everything from the first movie is the same up to the face punching, F/F, Once Upon a Time (TV) References, Slow Burn, TheGrimLlama's depth of relationships, not just fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrimLlama/pseuds/TheGrimLlama
Summary: After Elsa and Anna stopped the winter that overtook Arrendale, the young queen still felt on the outside of her own kingdom. After a year of standing before everyone as queen, Elsa felt as though the kingdom would simply be better of without her as queen - or even living in the kingdom. With help from her powers and Marshmallow, she found a way to not only leave her kingdom, but to leave the entire Enchanted Alliance. Far past even the Enchanted Forest, she found a world only rumored in legend and lost in the dustiest sections of the Arrendale library.Living in a world long stripped of magic to be replaced with science, Elsa kept not only her powers hidden, but the existence of magic. When magic began to fade from the world, it was preserved in the Enchanted Alliance, where it continued to be protected by those privileged to know of its existence. With one letter from home, Elsa was now being tugged back into that world. This time... she wouldn't be going back alone.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Elsa (Disney)/Original Female Character(s), Elsa (Disney)/Summer Yaxkin
Kudos: 5





	The Summer of Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! Your favorite fighting story teller in a long distance relationship here. As a couple, @TheGrimLlama and I have written plenty of things together. This is the first time we are publishing one of those things. For a virtual date night months ago, we decided to write a fan fiction together, alternating back and forth every few sentences, that would be loaded with cheesy tropes and the most annoying writing styles fan fic has to offer. Before we truly realized what was happening, we were thousands of words in and no longer goofing around. We were finding way to make connections to other Disney princess and kept creating more and more depth to this.
> 
> So. Here it is.
> 
> What was originally titled "Elsa in Summer" is now a saga of Elsa and her roommate, Summer, exploring the connected worlds of different Disney princesses and discovering things about themselves.

There was a soft light drifting through the window of the kitchen. It was cold for a summer night, but warmth radiated from the mug of hot chocolate sitting on the black granite countertop. Not that she would ever really complain about the cold - she never had in her life, as a matter of fact. The only reason she even kept that ridiculously comfy blanket on her couch was because of her best friend... who would never find out about her big secret, and it wasn’t that she could freeze an entire lake in under 10 seconds flat. But she totally could, not to brag or anything. She picked up her mug and padded back across the hardwood floor, her bare feet kicking a large winter boot on the way past. As she walked, she absentmindedly made flurries around her empty hand. There weren’t many opportunities for lazy Saturdays like this, so Elsa had to take advantage of them when she could. She gently sat her mug on the glass coffee table and sat cross legged on the couch, thinking about her short roommate as she dragged the blanket across her lap. It smelled like cinnamon cookies and pumpkin spice and was as soft as a hand knitted cloud. Elsa rolled her eyes - even she had to admit that this was getting to be a bit much, but who could blame her? It really was unfair to be that effortlessly stunning while still being the kindest person ever, and that includes non-human people. She wasn’t one to fall prey to most tropes, but it seemed kind of inevitable that Elsa would eventually fall in love with her vivacious roommate. They were polar opposites - Elsa was winter, Summer was… Well… Her name was Summer. Elsa was pretty sure that Summer’s style was more of an act of rebellion than anything else, seeing as her dads practically ran the hippie commune they lived in and literally changed their middle names to Peace and Love, respectively. The cooler colors she wore didn’t matter though because she was still Elsa’s own personal sun. She glanced up at the large wooden clock on the wall. It was 7am, which meant she still had around an hour before Summer rolled through the front door, bringing in cold air and a sunny disposition. 

Elsa had it bad. 100%. 

Suddenly needing to do something with her hands, she grabbed her laptop and found herself on Pinterest. The wedding dresses just happened to be on her feed and had nothing to do with past search history. It wasn’t like she was planning a winter wedding to her best friend in her head or anything (she totally was). She wanted her private Pinterest board to have an amazingly well meshed aesthetic. Starting a wedding planning business could also be an option for her; she could get great deals on ice sculptures for her clients. It didn’t matter though because she definitely lost track of time, and the steps outside the door alerted her to close her current browser. The door swung open, allowing the crisp morning air to circulate through the room as her roommate tripped through the threshold with a lofty giggle. Elsa noted the exact moment that Summer registered her sitting on the couch - her features elevating with light as she found Elsa. _I love you._ Her eyes went wide as she had a moment of panic as to whether or not that was actually out loud before she stammered out a “good morning.” 

“Oh my god, babe. I am so glad you’re up. I have so much to tell you,” Summer said, toeing off her comfortable shoes and placing them on the rack by the door. She kicked the door shut lightly and hung her coat up before she wandered into the kitchen to boil the kettle. 

Elsa tripped in her rush to get off the couch as she got caught in the blanket, but Summer’s back was to her the entire time, so she breathed a sigh of relief. “Well don’t leave a girl hanging.” She joined her friend in the kitchen.

“So I was in the lab last night, working on the top secret project that I really can’t tell you about, but really want to tell you about, but will get fired if I t-”

“Tell me about it? I get it Summer. Spit it out,” Elsa said with a well placed nudge to Summer’s ribs. They had had this interaction so many times about top secret things that Elsa could probably be locked up in a shack in Antarctica by now if Summer’s employers were to find out.

Summer did the little thing she does when she was about to tell something really good: her eyes got just slightly wider; her shoulders raised a little; she bounced on the balls of her feet; and she leaned in close as if she was about to unlock the secrets of the universe. “You remember when I told you about our current project?… The one that could potentially assist in crop growth in arid regions around the world?” 

Elsa nodded, how could she forget that her best friend was not only a genius, but also the most selfless woman on the face of the earth? 

“Okay.” Summer looked around as if someone could have gotten into their apartment to listen without them even realizing. “They found something.” Elsa only raised her eyebrows in question. “The team that went out there. There was a cave or something. I don’t really know everything because they are keeping it like so underwraps, but there were these weird stones and crystals in it.” 

“Like… Weird as in oddly shaped or weird as in magical properties? Because knowing your place of employment, it could be either.” 

Summer rolled her eyes and reached across for her favourite coffee mug, which happened to be one that Elsa had brought home from her last visit to Arrendale. 

“Oh, come on. Don’t pause on me like that.” 

Summer did that stupid lopsided grin that Elsa hated. 

“Don’t be like this.”

“Okay, okay.” Summer giggled before leaning even closer to Elsa. “They think magic. They brought some of them back and have been running tests.” 

This was dangerous territory. Elsa had always tiptoed around the m-word with Summer, especially after the absolute nightmare that happened in Arrendale when her magic was exposed. She just felt like… She wanted Summer to feel safe. She wanted her to be her friend, not someone who saw her as a science experiment. 

Summer didn’t seem to notice Elsa’s internal panic. “The main reason I even heard about it is because one of my friends had to get called in to clean up some broken equipment. One morning, they came back to all of the cameras having been broken in the lab, and during that time, the place was trashed. Rumor is that the only thing caught on tape before the cameras went out was a bright green glow.” 

Elsa’s eyes widened. “What. The. Fuck.”

“I know! Anyway, that’s just what I heard from Olaf, who had spoken to Jasmine, who heard it from Felix in maintenance.” Summer raised her eyebrows as she motioned for Elsa’s coffee mug. Clearly, she was planning on an early morning gossip before bed. 

Fortunately, Summer missed Elsa’s flinch at the name, Olaf, and Elsa was able to gather her wits enough to speak. “Who… What do they think the stones are? Where did they say they found them exactly?”

Summer shrugged. She finished making the coffee and sat up on the counter, placing her hands on Elsa’s shoulders. “Pretty sure it was somewhere out near Arrendale, but that’s just what I gathered from hearing about Tiana’s original expedition. Hey, I’m sorry. I know you don’t like to talk about home.” 

Elsa shrugged and smiled at her friend. “You don’t need to baby me, Summer. I’m a big girl.” It wasn’t so much that she didn’t like talking about home, but that she didn’t really feel welcome there. The country was filled with secrets - her existence being one of the biggest, but it was more-or-less an unknown island off the coast of England, so there wasn’t much worry there. Sure, she missed Anna desperately, and she was sad that she wasn’t around to watch her niblings grow up, but Elsa was mostly glad to be out of the spotlight and living a normal life. She didn’t want Summer to be dragged into that hot mess, or rather a cold mess, one that she’d created herself with her extensive and previously uncontrolled powers. Plus… there was the whole secret royalty thing that she decided to never bring up again after she signed away her place in line to her sister. That was the past, and her future now involved sharing a small apartment with someone she met only a couple of months before moving in together. “How were they even able to get that close with the travel ban on the country? And the fact that we aren’t on any official maps. We may as well be a more civilized version of that island with the indeginous people that kill anyone who comes near it.”

Summer shrugged and handed Elsa her coffee. “I don’t know. Tiana is determined when she has her mind set on something. I know you don’t like to talk about it, but if you ever want to talk about home, I’m happy to be an open ear. I can keep a secret.”

Elsa snorted. "You literally just disclosed a confidential work secret to me.”

“That doesn’t count.” Summer waved a dismissive hand.

Despite her thoughts of home, Elsa was able to laugh with a smile for her best friend that reached her eyes. “Have I told you that you’re my favorite?”

Summer rolled her eyes and nudged Elsa with her knees. “Seriously though, any time. Maybe we can make a night of it. I’ll share the secrets of living and escaping a hippie commune and you can tell me… Whatever it is that made you leave Arrendale. And how you’re able to get around the travel ban…”

“I’m magic,” Elsa answered with a wink. 

Shaking her head, Summer hopped off the counter and bumped her shoulder into Elsa’s. “You definitely make my life more magical.” She chuckled and set her cup in the sink. “I’m gonna go shower and promptly crash the second my head hits the pillow.” 

“Good, go and rest. I’m going to head out to the shelter today to walk my buddies.” 

Summer pouted. 

“Don’t pout. Don’t give me that face, Summer.”

“Fine. Fine.” Summer let out an unnecessarily loud sigh. 

“You’re going to be dead to the world anyways. You keep it so dark in there, you probably wouldn’t even know if some bats or something were living in there with you.” 

Elsa shook her head and led Summer to the bathroom. “Go. Shower, sleep, and I’ll see you in 8 hours.”

They exchanged a few more looks and comments before Summer finally went into the bathroom, and Elsa could finally breathe. Sometimes living with her was a challenge, but Elsa wouldn’t trade it for anything… even her kingdom back.

* * *

  
  


The kingdom of Arrendale waited with baited breath for the proclamation that they knew would be coming. Their queen, heavy with child, had not been seen in several days. Kristoff had been seen briefly on occasion, but the castle had nearly gone on lockdown. Soon, they would have a princess, and everyone was excited to keep their past out of their happiness and bright future. 

Inside the castle, Anna and Kristoff sat, Anna holding their newest child in her arms, marvelling at the perfection of her little face. “She looks like Elsa,” Kristoff said, booping the infant on the nose playfully and chuckling as her entire head moved, open-mouthed, in response.

Anna’s smile was a touch sad as she stroked the baby’s fair hair. “Yeah, she does,” Anna whispered as she looked at her little girl. “What do you think about Sela?”

Kristoff nodded. “I like that. It’s beautiful.” He kissed his wife’s forehead. “Have you heard from her since the Ban came into effect?”

“No. I knew putting the Ban in place was the only thing that would protect us, but I wasn’t prepared for her to just leave the way she did.” Anna smiled tearily at the little hand wrapped around her finger. “It was supposed to protect her, too. The Ban was created to protect the magic of Arrendale. She’s part of that magic. If no magic exists anywhere else in the world, it’s up to us to keep it safe.”

“She had her reasons for leaving, I’m sure. She’ll come home one day. Have a little faith.”

* * *

  
  


Two weeks had passed since Summer’s revelation about _magic_ _rocks_ being found near Arrendale, and Elsa had thought of nothing else since. The same questions were flowing through her mind: how close to Arrendale; how did they get that close; did they actually go into Arrendale; does her sister know; what if there are people in the inside leaking information; is she at risk of ending up in a lab?

One Friday night, Elsa was cuddled up on the couch under Summer’s blanket and watching random nonsense on Netflix when she received a text from her roommate:

_You’ve been slumping around for too long. We’re going out tonight. I’m on my way home._

Elsa rolled her eyes before sending back: _Let me live my best life._

She knew that that message would tell Summer that she would be heading out with her tonight. As much as Elsa denied being _whipped_ , she just couldn’t say no to Summer. _She’s lucky she’s pretty_ , she thought to herself.

_My best life is with you. :) See you in 30!_

Elsa caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and felt her heart race. How was she supposed to look presentable in 30 minutes? She had never been more annoyed at how much she’d changed since leaving Arrendale. There was no way in hell she’d be caught dead in sweatpants back then. Although, a majority of that reasoning not even being her choice since the whole royalty thing meant a lot of outfits meant for being presentable and chosen for her. While she had to admit that her clothes now were much more comfortable and made more sense to wear, she sometimes missed the extravagance - even if Arrendale felt like a completely different time period. Heck forget different time period, try a different planet. Elsa felt like the transition process once breaking through the barrier was the hardest part. There was just something about Arrendale that always felt… different.

She’s the only person she knew who left - everyone else that left before the Ban had never been heard from again. Every time Elsa had searched for clues, she came up empty. There was absolutely no information on the outside world, which made her escape all the more thrilling.

This wasn’t the time to be thinking about all that though. She had to at least take a quick shower and put on something halfway decent. 

A ten minute shower and a little secret magic later, Elsa felt halfway to presentable. Sure her skinny jeans, blouse and heels combo was cute, but it was certainly no ice gown. She thought about possibly taking a long weekend to go somewhere cold and just use all her powers for a while. It had been a while since she had really done anything bigger than random flurries. But the thought of heading away for the weekend without her roommate was honestly not an idea that she wanted to toy with. She sometimes wished that Summer was a little less observant. Maybe she could get away with turning off the central cooling and using her own abilities to turn the temperature of the apartment down, but alas nothing got past Summer. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of keys outside the front door. 

"Elsa, I'm home," Summer called out in a sing-song voice that made Elsa's knees a little weak. 

“About time. I was worried you got lost on the way.” Summer rolled her eyes and went through the motions of her getting home routine. She was predictable in a way that made Elsa feel secure. She was the polar opposite of Anna. While the thought of her sister broke her heart, she knew that staying in Arrendale wasn’t an option. 

Summer grinned mischievously. "I had my reasons."

"That's not terrifying." 

There was a moment of silence before Summer perked up (if that was possible), she reached into her bag and pulled out an expensive looking envelope. “I found this in the mail? Is someone getting married? Can I be your plus one?”

Elsa barely refrained from snatching the envelope with the familiar markings and crest… and handwriting. "If anyone is getting married, it's news to me."

"I think a mini vacay for some wedding fun would be the best."

Elsa walked into her office and collected the ornate letter opener on her desk, while Summer watched affectionately. 

“Do you need space?” Summer asked, she must have noticed the heavy air in the room that came every time Elsa received any kind of familial correspondence. When Elsa just sat staring at the envelope for a long moment, Summer smiled softly. "I actually need to change and grab something. Be ready in five?"

"Sure." Elsa nodded without looking up. She turned the envelope over in her hands and carefully lifted the seal. A letter slipped out, written on thick paper, it was wrapped around a smaller piece of cardstock and a photo. Somewhere in her mind, Elsa knew what was waiting on the other side of the photograph. Unconsciously sitting on her chair, she stared at the folded letter until Summer's humming somewhere in the apartment broke the spell, and she quickly shoved the envelope and its contents at the bottom of a drawer for future Elsa to deal with. "Ready," she exclaimed as she exited her office, closing the door behind herself.

"Good news?"

Elsa just shrugged. "I didn't want to ruin tonight, so I will check it in the morning."

"You're a real dick to Future Elsa, you know that right?" Summer playfully narrowed her eyes at her roommate.

With a slight pout, Elsa crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do you always take her side? You're supposed to be my best friend."

Summer took Elsa's hand and smiled. "I am the best friend that has to deal with the fallout when Future Elsa inevitably gets blindsided by something completely avoidable. But I'll respect your wishes, and if you need me to sit with you tomorrow morning, I will do that."

Warmth blossomed in Elsa's chest. How was she ever supposed to keep her relationship with Summer platonic when Summer was the sweetest woman alive? 

"How about we stop with all the emotional stuff for now and go have some fun?"

The corners of Elsa's lips turned up. "Will you tell me what your plan is for tonight?” 

Summer used her finger to mime a zipping motion across her mouth. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Soon enough was a solid twenty minutes later. Elsa found herself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Summer out the front of a large building with a painted sign, decorated with penguins, snowmen and some tacky snow themed font. “What is a Winter Playground?” 

With a grin absolutely full of mischief, Summer grabbed her hands, her eyes shining brightly. Elsa had no choice but to go with the tug on her arm. 

"Summer?" 

A laugh was the only response she received.

“You know how wistful you get whenever you see snow…? I found this place online last week.” Summer dragged Elsa by the hand through the double doors. 

Elsa was instantly comforted by the significant drop in temperature. She could see racks of ice skates and a wall of toboggans, “Are we going skating?" Her heart was suddenly trying to see what it would be like to have wings and bounce right out of her chest.

Summer bit her lip. "If that's okay?" She cleared her throat and straightened a little, gaining confidence from the grin spreading on Elsa's face. "To be honest, I haven't been since I was a child… and that was once… on fake ice…"

“Well, luckily for you, I could probably sprint across ice in a pair of heels,” Elsa said with a wink. Summer didn’t need to know that Elsa had spent a block of time living in a literal ice castle before leaving Arrendale.

"How would you even kn - Actually, nevermind. You never cease to amaze me. Shall we go get some skates?"

"Oh, I -" Elsa cleared her throat. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of borrowing skates worn by countless strangers, but she couldn't offer to make them both a pair; however… "Actually, I have to use the restroom. How about you go get us one of those lockers, and I'll grab us some skates on the way back?" In her mind, she was already imagining what design she would add to Summer's skates. 

Elsa ducked into the bathroom, noticing that it was surprisingly empty for a Friday night. She was brimming with excitement. It had been so long since she’d stretched her powers, so she was going to be intricate as hell with these skates. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she let the magic flow through her, and her hands naturally swirled around each other. Within seconds, two sets of skates lay on the ground in front of her - each as unique as they were beautiful. Elsa clapped her hands together lightly, seeing the familiar set of skates lying side by side with the new pair of skates. They were embellished with gold thread, the pristine leather contrasting beautifully with the swirls of gold. She couldn’t wait until Summer saw them. 

Fortunately, Summer's back was to her, so she looped toward the direction of the rental skates to make it seem as though she was coming from that direction. "I ended up buying us a pair," she just completely blurted out, fighting off the urge to cringe as Summer spun around to face her. 

“No, this was supposed to be my treat!” Summer pouted. “Thank you, Elsa.” Elsa watched Summer examine the skates, a finger trailing along the gold threads. “Elsa… How… These look excessively expensive.”

"I have many skills." Elsa's smile went crooked.

"You've been watching Xena again, haven't you?" Summer giggled, but she no longer questioned the skates and just began putting them on. 

Elsa quickly put on her skates. “So, are you going to need to hold the wall? Or am I going to send everyone a Snapchat of you landing on your ass?” 

Summer glared playfully, “I was counting on my best friend to hold me up, but if she’s too busy updating her social media then…”

"A lady knows how to multitask." She winked at her best friend, but held out her hand to support Summer as she stood. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"My hero." Summer tried to fake swoon, but nearly took both of them down, sending them both into a fit of laughter. "Maybe I didn't think this through." 

“Summer, relax.” Elsa held her up under the arms. “The more tense you are, the harder it will be to stay upright. Trust me.” She felt Summer relax into her arms. “That’s a good start. Now… I’m going to move us slowly, okay?”

"Are you really like a professional figure skater with a dark past, and that's why you never tell me anything?" Summer started inching her feet, trying to keep up with Elsa as she slowly moved them toward the ice. "That would actually explain a lot."

“I could be… But, if I told you, I’d probably have to kill you,” she answered with a laugh. Elsa made eye contact with Summer. “You know… I think I’m almost ready to open up that letter I got tonight… It’s from my sister. I’d really like you to be there when I open it.” 

Summer’s face softened, but the moment was broken when her skates slid out from under her. They both stared at each other in silence - Summer sprawled on the ground at the entrance to the ring, and Elsa staring down at her. Together, they broke out into laughter. Summer settled enough to finally speak through her laughter, "Come on and help me up before we get ran over."

**Author's Note:**

> We aren't sure if we'll post the rest of this on here. As of 5/12/2020, we are over 27,000 words. It may move over to another site. Let us know what you think about it.


End file.
